List of the best Kon Ichikawa movies: Fires on the Plain(1959), Tokyo Olympiad(1966), Kokoro(1955), The Makioka Sisters(1983), Alone on the Pacific(1963), Visions of Eight(1973), Ten Nights of Dreams(2006), The Burmese Harp(1956) ... ...
War
Japan
1959
100 Minutes
Director
Eiji Funakoshi Mantaro Ushio Yoshiro Hamaguchi Osamu Takizawa
soldier doctor dark chilling bleak island philippines hospital desertion starvation battle fatigue war survival world war ii quest escape fall 1940s
In the closing days of WWII remnants of the Japanese army in Leyte are abandoned by their command and face certain starvation.
Documentary
Japan
1966
170 Minutes
Director
olympic athlete boxer rousing dreamy engaging tokyo stadium olympic games running competition africa underdog quest 1960s
Kon Ichikawa examines the beauty and rich drama on display at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, creating a record of observations that range from the expansive to the intimate.
Drama
Japan
1955
120 Minutes
Director
Michiyo Aratama Tatsuya Mihashi Masayuki Mori Akiko Tamura Shôji Yasui
teacher student best friend husband wife moving tender sad passionate japan family home cemetery countryside suicide marriage teaching spirituality friendship betrayal transformation
At the end of Meiji era a young student befriend an older man who as a proof of trust but also as a kind of exorcism entrust him his secret, a story about jealousy, betrayal, shame and guilt.
Drama
Japan
1983
140 Minutes
Director
Keiko Kishi Yoshiko Sakuma Sayuri Yoshinaga Yûko Kotegawa Juzo Itami Koji Ishizaka
sister wife rebel bank employee accountant daughter amusing charming melodramatic osaka, japan family home sister relationship marriage world war ii occupation shyness social standing adventure love rivalry
The orphaned Makioka sisters look for a husband for their third sister, Yukiko, as the rebellious youngest sister, Taeko, is kept waiting her turn.
Adventure, Drama
Japan
1963
100 Minutes
Director
Yujiro Ishihara Masayuki Mori Kinuyo Tanaka Ruriko Asaoka Hajime Hana
Kenichi Horie is determined to challenge his family, the law and the nature crossing the Pacific to America in a small sailboat. Despite his careful planning many unforeseen events will test his determination.
Documentary
West Germany|USA
1973
105 Minutes
Director
John Schlesinger Claude Lelouch Milos Forman Michel Pfleghar
olympic athlete boxer weightlifter gymnast rousing engaging munich olympics olympic village stadium olympic games competition losing sports winning transformation underdog sacrifice rivalry 1970s
Eight acclaimed filmmakers bring their unique and differing perspectives to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games held in Munich. The segments include Claude Lelouch's take on Olympic losers and ... See full summary »
Fantasy
2006
100 Minutes
Director
Kyôko Koizumi Miwa Nishikawa Yoshitaka Amano Suzuki Matsuo Tsuyoshi Ujiki Keisuke Horibe Mikako Ichikawa Koji Ookura Sadao Abe Yoshizumi Ishihara
War
1956
116 Minutes
Director
Shôji Yasui Rentarô Mikuni Tatsuya Mihashi Tanie Kitabayashi Yunosuke Ito
japanese soldier british soldier monk brutal gripping gutsy solemn burma cave buddhism spiritual journey pacifism world war ii quest transformation fall 1940s
Kon Ichikawa's anti-war parable about a Japanese soldier burying his fallen comrades at the end of World War II.